Cleared of Rape

I'm happy for Jameis Winston for the charges of rape being dropped/ deemed not enough evidence/ the girl not wanting the case to happen anymore. I hope it's true & he didn't rape anyone & he'll get the Heisman or win or whatever he wants to happen. 

BUT

I have read a lot of people's Facebook posts this week on the case spreading misinformation about rape cases generally & I think it's worth talking about two key areas:

1) They note the girl changed her story about the night of the initial alleged rape. This was before she stopped talking to cops. Folks say she was confused or making if up. I hope so, but the change in story of events does NOT mean a rape is made up. Rape is a traumatic event &, like with all traumatic events, it can affect your memory. A rape victim changing their story does not mean they were not raped.

2) The USA Today story says her friend said she opted to stop talking/ reporting/ whatever because she didn't want anyone to get mad at her. If you're raped, this should never be something you have to contend with. Like I noted above, I hope this is all a huge misunderstanding, but isn't that understandable? A star player of a star team? After Steubenville & so many other incidents of fans backing the star player, it's so sad.

I hope it's true - that he didn't rape anyone. But facts about rapes in general are being distorted through this case too. And, in a crime where victims' lives can be turned upside down & a crime where victims are so often not understood, this in itself is extremely sad.